Laksa Soup

Laksa is a spicy Noodle Soup from Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia.  It is a part of Peranakan cuisine which is a combination of Chinese and Malay cuisine. The variants of Laksa include Curry Laksa , Asam Laksa, Nyonya Laksa, Thai Laksa, etc.  (Source: Wikipedia) 

The original Laksa being completely non-vegetarian, I have derived this Laksa recipe on my own out of the multiple recipes read on various websites. In this recipe, I have substituted the 'Shrimp Paste' with Black Bean Sauce, 'Candle-nuts' with Cashew Nuts etc. to make an Indian Vegetarian version of Laksa. Also, I have also added few ingredients like Spring Onions, Mushrooms which are not used in the original recipes, but goes well with the Laksa Soup. 

Servings : Approx. 4-6 servings
Approx. Time : 1 hour (including pre-preparation)

Ingredients:
For the Laksa paste:
2 sliced Onions (large)
1 tbspn chopped Garlic 
1 tbspn Galangal paste or Ginger paste
2 tspns lemongrass white stem
10-15 Fresh Coriander Stems
4-5 Basil leaves
4-5 dried red chillies (soaked in water)
10-15 Cashew Nuts (soaked in water)
1/2 tspn Turmeric Powder
1 tspn Black Bean Sauce
Water, if required.

For Laksa Soup:
4 tbspns vegetable oil
spice paste (as prepared) 
4 cups Vegetable stock
7-8 Basil leaves (or Mint leaves)
1 tspn Gram Masala powder (Or Curry Powder)
1 tbspn Sugar
salt to taste

1 tbspn Black Bean Sauce

5-6 Button Mushrooms (chopped)
5-6 Fried Tofu 
2 cups thick coconut milk 
2 tbspns Spring Onion Greens
1 lemon Juice

To Serve with
Boiled noodles 
Parboiled Bean sprouts
Deep fried Tofu

For Garnishing:
Lemon wedges
Finely chopped Spring Onion Greens

Pre-preparation:

Deep frying of Tofu Slices  

Take 200 gms Tofu and slice it into small cubes. Toss the sliced tofu in a mixture of Soy Sauce, Vinegar, and Sesame oil and rest it for few minutes. Then sprinkle some Corn flour over it. Ensure that the Tofu slices are coated with the Corn flour. Deep fry the Tofu slices in hot Oil till it is golden brown in colour. Remove and drain on paper towels.

Cooking of Noodles:

Cook the noodles in salted water as per the instructions given on the packet. Drain and pour a teaspoon of Oil so that the Noodles do not stick to each other. 

Parboiling Bean Sprouts:

To cook the Bean sprouts, add the Bean Sprouts in salted boiling water for about a minute. Then drain it and  immediately pour cold water over it. 

Method:

To make the Laksa paste:

Take all the ingredients for Laksa paste in a grinder and grind it into a coarse paste. Add some water if required for grinding.

To make Laksa:

Take Oil in a pan and saute the ground paste till the raw flavor of the paste goes away. Ensure continuous stirring to avoid burning of the paste. 

Once the paste is cooked, add the Vegetable stock and simmer. Thereafter, add the Basil leaves, Garam Masala or Curry Powder, Sugar, Black Bean Sauce, Salt, Mushrooms, Fried Tofu and cook for 2 more minutes. Add the coconut milk and simmer for 2 more minutes on medium flame. Also add some Spring Onion Greens and turn off the flame.  Finally add the lemon juice to the Laksa. 

To assemble Laksa:

To assemble Laksa, take a Serving Bowl and place the noodles in it. Then arrange some Bean sprouts and Fried Tofu and ladle the Laksa Soup into the bowl. Garnish it with Spring Onion Greens and lemon wedges. Serve hot.

Notes:

1. In the Vegetable Stock, along with the other vegetables you may add Lemon Grass and Basil to enhance the flavor of Laksa.
2. You may also use the raw Bean Sprouts instead of boiling it.
3. Do not overheat the Soup once the Coconut milk is added as the Soup may curdle.
4. Parboiled Baby Corns, Carrots, French Beans etc. may also be added as per the choice.
5. I have used Hakka Noodles, however you may use Rice Noodles in place of Hakka Noodles.
6. The consistency of the Soup may be altered by increasing or reducing the quantity of Vegetable stock.

Soups

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Workshop on European Desserts by Chef Vivek Kadam

Yesterday I attended a Workshop on European Desserts by Chef. I am posting the recipes that I learnt during this workshop for you. Even though I could not taste some of them due to egg and alcoholic contents, the recipes were awesome.

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CHOCOLATE CHEESE LOLLIPOPS

Ingredients:

500 gm Baked Cheese Cake

10 gm Orange Zest

30 ml Irish Cream

150 gms Dark Chocolate

200 gms Hazelnut Craoquant or Chocolate Nibs

250 gms  Dark Chocolate

50 gms Cocoa Butter

Method:

Take the ready baked Cheese Cake, beat the cake along with the melted dark chocolate. 

Roll the mixture like pipe and keep in the freeze for around 30 to 45 minutes

Take it out from the Freeze and cut it into small pipes.

Dip the small pipes in ready crystallized chocolate.

Finally coat it with Hazelnut Craoquant. 

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MOHR IM HEMD

Ingredients:

180 gms Cooking Chocolate

200 gms Butter

70 gms Sugar

240 gms Egg Yolks

140 gms Almond Powder

40 gms Flour (All purpose flour)

300 gms Egg White

130 gms Sugar

Method:

Beat the butter and Sugar together in a mixing bowl.

Keep on adding the egg yolks.

Once it turns fluffy enough, add the melted chocolate.

Mix this mixture along with the Almond Powder (Do not over mix)

Whip the egg white and sugar and fold this meringue into chocolate mix.

Pour it into desired baking mould

Bake it at 190 degree for 35 minutes (Water Bath)

Notes:

In the above recipe, as per the Chef, the Egg Yolks and Egg White can be replaced with 160 to 180 gms of Condensed Milk

Water bath is a technique where baking moulds are placed in a tray containing water. (Similar to caramel pudding)

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PATE DE FRUIT

Ingredients:

1 Litre Frozen Fruit Puree

750 gms Castor Sugar

200 gms Glucose

25 gm Pectin + 50 gm Castor Sugar

15 ml Lemon Juice

15 ml Water

Method:

Boil the Fruit Puree along with Sugar and Glucose together.

After one boil, mix in Pectin and Sugar mixture

Once the Pectin,  the mixture should be stirred continuously in order to avoid formation of lumps.

Boil till 107 degrees

Add the lemon Juice and Water

Set it in desired Silicon Mould

Roll in the Castor Sugar and serve.

Notes:

In the above recipe, Fruit Puree can be substituted with Fresh Fruit Pulp

The Glucose is used to give elasticity to the dessert. 

Wet your hands before touching Glucose as it sticks to your hands

Pectin is a Binding agent. It can be substituted with Agar Agar or Gelatin

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STRAWBERRY CONFIT, CHAMPAGNE JELLY VERINNE

Ingredients:

For Strawberry Confit

500 gms Fresh Strawberries 

10 gms Fresh Thyme

200 gms Sugar

5 gms Cinnamon Stick

10 gms Corn Starch

For Champagne Jelly:

750 ml Champagne

16 gms Sugar

Vanilla Pods

15 gms Gelatin Leaves

For Mascarpone Cream:

500 gms Mascarpone Cheese

6 Egg Yolks

200 gms Sugar

25 ml Grand Mariner Liquour

400 gms Whipped Cream

Method:

To make Strawberry confit:

Cut the Strawberries in to 4 slices each. 

In a sauce pan add Sugar, Strawberry, Thyme and Cinnamon & marinate.

Cook the berries until mixture thickens

Remove from the heat the allow it to reach at room temperature.

To make Champagne Jelly

Mix the Champagne with Sugar and seeds in the Vanilla Pods.

Add the soaked Gelatin and set the mixture in small tray

Keep inside the refrigerator to set.

To make Mascarpone Cream

Cook the egg Yolks with Pate de bombe method.

Mix with the Mascarpone Cheese and Grand Mariner

Finely fold the whipped Cream

Serve in a glass

Notes:

Pate de bombe method as explained by the Chef is a method where raw egg yolks are cooked by adding hot Sugar Syrup and mixing it continuously.

The use of Liquor may be avoided

The Thyme can be substituted with Mint also

The Cinnamon sticks can be replaced with Star Anise or Cloves

The Chef has also suggested a substitute for Champagne Jelly which can be made by using 

1 litre of any Fruit Puree, 200 gms Sugar, 10-20 gms Liquid Glucose and 25 gms of Gelatin. 

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International Menu

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Bok Choy in Lemon Garlic Sauce

This Shanghai Style simple and tasty Bok Choy in Lemon Garlic Sauce serves as a good alternate for a thick soup or stew.  This dish requires minimal ingredients and can be accompanied with rice.

Servings : 2 people

Ingredients:
15-16 Bok Choy leaves

For the Lemon Garlic Sauce:
1 tbspn Butter
1 tspn Garlic paste
3 tbspns Corn flour + Water
1 lemon juice
1 tspn Pepper powder
Salt to taste

For Garnishing: 
Fried Garlic flakes

Method:
Blanch the Bok Choy and set it aside.

Heat butter in a pan. Add garlic paste and saute for a minute. Dilute the Corn flour in water. Pour the mixture in the pan. Ensure to stir it continuously to avoid lumps. Add some water to adjust the consistency. Add some salt and pepper powder to taste. Then add the fresh lemon juice. At the end, add the blanched Bok Choy leaves into the sauce. 

Garnish it with fried Garlic flakes and serve hot.

Notes:
Ensure to stir the corn flour slurry continuously to avoid lumps. 
You may use vegetable stock instead of water. 

Special Rice

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Thai Red Curry

This is again an Indian version of Thai Red Curry. In this recipe, I used a teaspoon of corn-flour to give a bit thickness. However, it somewhat reduces the taste of the curry. 

Ingredients:

3 tbsps Olive Oil
4 tbspns Thai Red Curry Paste

2 Cups Coconut Milk

Mix Vegetables
1/2 Red Bell-pepper (diced)
1/2 Yellow Bell-pepper (diced)
1/2 Green Bell-pepper (diced)
3-4 Baby Corn (Parboiled and sliced)
1 small Green or Yellow Zucchini (diced)
6-7 Mushrooms (sliced)
1-2 Bok Choy leaves (Chopped)

Seasoning
Salt to taste
1/2 tspn Pepper powder
1 tsp Lemon juice

Method:

Heat Olive oil in a pan. When oil is heated, add the Thai red curry paste and fry well on a high flame. Ensure to stir it constantly for about 2-3 minutes till it releases the aroma. Then add all the vegetables except Mushrooms. Ensure that the vegetables are coated with the paste.  Stir-fry it for about two minutes. Thereafter, add mushrooms and stir fry for one more minute. 

Then add the coconut milk and keep stirring the mixture constantly till it reaches to a boil. Once the curry boils, reduce the flame and simmer for 2 more minutes. Add some salt and pepper powder. Switch off the flame and after some time add lemon juice to it. 

Serve hot with steamed rice.

Notes:

1. For thick consistency, you may take a tbspn of corn-flour mixed with 2-3 tbspns of water and add it along with the coconut milk to the Curry. 
2. You may add vegetables of your choice like carrots, broccoli etc. 
3. Adding basil leaves to the curry also enhances its flavour.

Vegetables

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Thai Red Curry Paste

This paste is another version of the Thai Red Curry paste. It is a bit similar to the authentic Thai Red Curry paste. In this recipe, I have added more red chillies to get a bright red colour. 

Ingredients:

20-25 Dry Red chillies 
2 onions (chopped)
8-9 garlic cloves 
1 inch piece of Galangal (chopped)
10-12 fresh coriander stems
2 lemon grass stalks (Chopped)
4-5 Kaffir lime leaves
1/2 teaspoon pepper powder
1/2 tspn roasted cumin
1/2 tspn roasted coriander seeds
1 teaspoon Soy Sauce

Method:

Soak red chillies in hot water for 3-4 hours. Strain the excess water from the chillies and set it aside to be used later. Take all the ingredients into a blender. Blend it without adding water. Once the mixture is roughly ground, add the chilly water to it. You may need to push down the paste in blender, as many time as necessary, till you get a smooth paste. At the end, add Soy Sauce and mix. You can now store this paste in a container. 

Notes:

1. Fresh lemon grass stalks have knots at their ends. Remove these before finely slicing the stalks crossways and at a slight angle. Start at the bottom end and go upto 15 inches / 6 centimeters. 

2. Lemon grass will not blend thoroughly unless it has been sliced first.

3. Galangal is fairly tough and should be cut in to thin slices (preferably crossways) before grinding. 

Thai Food

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Turkish Soup

We, Indians, have adopted majority of International cuisines and moulded them by giving an Indian Tadka to it. In India, many cuisines such as Chinese, Italian, Thai, have gained popularity. However, Turkish cuisine still remains unexlored by Indian home cooks. Also, there is a strong notion that most of the Turkish recipes are non-vegeterian. But even the Turkish cuisine has few very delicious vegetarian recipes. This Turkish Soup is an Indian version of Turkish Red Lentil Soup - 'Mercimek Corbasi', which uses chopped veggies like cabbage, carrots and capsicum that are largely used in chinese soups. This soup uses a special aromatic stock that gives it a pleasant aroma and flavor.

Servings : 4-5 servings

Ingredients:
For the Paste:
1 cup Red Lentil (Masoor Dal)
4 chopped Onions
1/2 chopped Beetroot 
2-3 cups water

For Aromatic Stock:
3 Cups Water
3 Bay leaves (Tamalpatra)
7-8 cloves (Lavang)
1/4 cup Celery leaves & stems 
8-10 Garlic cloves
6-7 lime leaves (Or 1/2 lemon - sliced )

For Turkish Soup:
2 tbpns Butter
1/4 cup chopped Carrot
1/4 cup chopped Capsicum
1/4 cup chopped Cabbage
Stock (as above)
Paste (as above)
Salt to taste

For Garnishing :
Parsley
A dollop of Butter

Method:

To make Paste:

Take Red Lentil, chopped onions and beetroot in a pressure cooker. Add water to the ingredients and cook them. It does not take much time to cook the Lentils. Once cooked, allow it to cool. Then transfer it into a blender and blend it into a smooth paste.

To make aromatic Stock:

Heat water in a pan. Add Bay leaves, cloves, Celery leaves, garlic cloves and limes leaves (or sliced lemon) to it. Boil it for 10 minutes on high flame. Pass it through a sieve. Set aside the stock.

To make Soup:

Heat butter in a pan. Add chopped carrots and saute them. Then, sprinkle salt over the carrots. After sauteeing for 2 minutes, add chopped capsicum and cabbage. Again saute it for 2-3 minutes. Then, add the stock to it. 

Add the Lentil paste to the mixture. Cook till the mixture starts boiling. Turn off the flame. Garnish it with Parsley & a dollop of salted butter. Serve hot.

Notes:

1. While making stock, the celery leaves may be substituted with Corriander leaves and stems.
2. A few drops of lemon juice may be added while serving the soup.
3. Water may be added to adjust the consistency.

Soups

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Hummus

Hummus is a very tasty dip from Middle-East. The word 'Hummus' means 'chickpeas' in Arabic.  This is generally served with Pita bread. I love this even with chips.

Ingredients :

For the Tahini paste
1/4 cup Sesame seeds 
1/2 lemon juice
1 tspn garlic paste (or chopped garlic)
2 tbsp olive oil
salt to taste

For Hummus :
1 cup Chickpeas (Kabuli Chana)
1 tbspn garlic paste
1/2 lemon juice
2 tbspns Tahini Paste
Salt to taste
2 tbspns Olive oil
2 tbspns Curd

For Garnishing :
Red Chilly powder / Paprika / Chilly flakes
Olive Oil
Fresh Corriander Leaves / Parsley

Method :

To make Tahini paste

Dry roast the sesame seeds on a griddle for 2-3 minutes. Allow it to cool. Then add all the remaining ingredients and blend it in a mixer to  smooth paste.

To make Hummus :

Soak the chickpeas for 8-10 hours. Add a pinch of soda-bicarb to the water while soaking. Once soaked, rinse the water and boil chickpeas in fresh water till they are soft.

Transfer it into a bowl. Add garlic paste, lemon juice, Tahini paste, salt to taste, olive oil and curd. Blend it into a smooth paste. Add some warm water to facilitate smooth blending, if required. After blending, transfer it into a serving bowl. Sprinkle some red chilly powder or Paprika or chilly flakes over it. Then drizzle some olive oil over it. Lastly garnish it with fresh corriander leaf. 

Notes :

1. To make Hummus more creamier, the peels of chickpeas should be removed.
2. The process of blending should be done when the chickpeas are warm.
3. Baking soda may also be added to the water while boiling chickpeas.

Side Dishes

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Pasta in White Sauce

Pasta is a favorite among people of all ages. Some people prefer the creamy pasta in white sauce over the tangy pasta in red sauce. White sauce is also known as Alfredo sauce and is big hit among people who especially love cheese.


Ingredients :

To make white sauce (Alfredo Sauce):
2 tbspns butter
2 tbspns all purpose flour (Maida) or Corn flour
2 cups milk
1 cup water
1/2 cup fresh cream
1/2 cup processed cheese 
1/4 tspn white pepper powder
Salt to taste

To cook Pasta :
1 cup Pasta [Any]
2 tspns salt
2 tspns oil
5-6 cups boiling water
Olive Oil to drizzle

To make pasta :
1 tbspn olive oil or butter
1 tspn fresh garlic paste
7-8 boiled and vertically babycorns corn
1/2 each vertically chopped red and yellow Bell peppers 
1/2 tspn pepper powder (preferably white)
1/4 tspn mixed herbs
White sauce (as above)
Boiled pasta (as above)
3-4 tbspns grated processed cheese
Salt to taste

For Garnishing :
Grated processed cheese
Basil leaves

Method :

To make White sauce (Alfredo sauce) :
Heat butter in a pan. Once butter starts melting add All Purpose Flour (Maida) and reduce the flame. Saute till it starts releasing butter from the sides of the pan. Then add milk and stir continuously so that no lumps are formed. Then add a cup of water and cook the sauce till the mixture is thick and it starts bubbling. Lastly add fresh cream, grated processed cheese, pepper powder and salt to taste. Cook further for a minute or so. Switch off the flame and transfer it into a bowl for using it in pasta. 

To cook pasta :
Heat 5-6 cups water in a deep pan. Then add salt and oil into the boiling water. Once the water starts boiling, add pasta into it. Cook till the is pasta soft. After cooking, drain out the excess water from pasta by transferring it into a colander. Drizzle some olive oil over the cooked pasta so that it does not become sticky. Set it aside.

To make Pasta :
Heat butter in a pan. Once butter starts melting add garlic paste. Then add blanched baby-corns and again saute it for a minute. Once the baby-borns are sauteed, stir in the bell peppers. Season the mixture with pepper powder, dried mixed herbs and salt to taste. Mix white sauce, cooked pasta and grated cheese into the mixture. Cook it for a minute or two. 

Serve hot by garnishing it with basil leaves and grated processed cheese.

Notes :
Garlic paste can also be added while making the white sauce
Instructions given above for cooking pasta can be modified and instructions given on the pasta packet can be considered.

Stepwise Pictures :

Sending this entry to Chandrani's first event Colourful Holi

Refreshment

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